House Republicans target Biden admin over hospital price transparency noncompliance

To improve price transparency, the government could consider extending reporting requirements to more provider sites or making compliance a condition of participating in Medicare, witnesses testified in a Tuesday hearing.

By Rebecca Pifer • May 17, 2023

Appellate court pauses ruling blocking ACA preventive care mandate

The temporary administrative stay, which now legally requires health plans to provide preventive care for over 150 million Americans, applies while an appeal of the March case is considered by the court.

By Sydney Halleman • May 16, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Labor

Hospitals are navigating persistent labor shortages with the need to cut costs — a source of contention that could leave patients caught in the middle.

By Healthcare Dive staff

Rethinking the area deprivation index: a call for more effective measures to promote health equity

Srilekha Palle, visiting fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum, argues that a key health equity indicator used by the Biden administration has significant limitations that could exclude many underserved communities.

By Srilekha Palle • May 12, 2023

FDA advisers back over-the-counter use of birth control pill

The committee members urged the agency to move quickly to improve access to Perrigo’s contraception pill.

By Kristin Jensen • May 11, 2023

Here’s what will change when the COVID public health emergency ends

Vaccines, which have been crucial to curbing the threat of the virus, will remain free for the vast majority of people in the U.S., but over-the-counter tests will no longer be covered for most.

By Shannon Muchmore • May 10, 2023

Abortion providers in 3 states sue over mifepristone restrictions

The Monday lawsuit seeks to remove safety restrictions on mifepristone or, alternatively, prevent further altering of access to the drug.

By Sydney Halleman • May 9, 2023

Celebrated healthcare heroes are workplace violence victims

Violence prevents nurses, doctors and other professionals from providing uninterrupted, quality patient care, argues Andrew Thum, the director of nursing workforce operations at Jefferson Health in Philadelphia.

By Andrew Thum • May 8, 2023

AHA, hospital groups file court brief asking to restore ACA preventive services mandate

The medical associations said preventive health services are essential to increase longevity and quality of life, and that medical evidence should dictate preventive care recommendations rather than political considerations.

By Brian T. Horowitz • May 8, 2023

CDC Director Walensky to step down in June

Rachel Walensky, who has served as director since 2021, was criticized for the federal government’s handing of the pandemic, announcing in August last year that she planned to reorganize the CDC.

By Sydney Halleman • May 5, 2023

DEA temporarily extends COVID-19 telehealth prescribing flexibility for controlled substances

The agency said on Wednesday that it needs additional time to parse through the 38,000 public comments it received in response to a proposal to reintroduce stricter limits around telehealth prescribing.

By Rebecca Pifer • May 4, 2023

Envision wins $91M in arbitration against UnitedHealthcare

The arbitration panel found UnitedHealthcare “unilaterally reduced reimbursement to Envision clinicians,” in violation of its in-network agreement.

By Sydney Halleman • May 3, 2023

Biden admin officially ends COVID vaccine mandate for health workers

The CMS on Wednesday issued a final rule lifting the controversial vaccine mandate in early August, though regulators said they wouldn’t enforce the mandate between now and then.

By Rebecca Pifer • Updated June 1, 2023

CMS launches investigations into denied emergency abortion care

The agency alleges that hospitals in Missouri and Kansas violated EMTALA by failing to provide needed care to a woman whose pregnancy became nonviable at 18 weeks.

By Shannon Muchmore • May 2, 2023

CMS targets Medicaid payment transparency, wait times in new proposed rules

The agency wants to create maximum waiting times for certain appointments in addition to requiring stronger quality monitoring and reporting standards for Medicaid and CHIP managed care plans.

By Sydney Halleman • April 28, 2023

Lawmakers show bipartisan support for site-neutral payments

Political will appears to be rising to equalize Medicare payments to hospitals and doctor’s offices for certain low-acuity services, according to lawmaker comments during a Wednesday hearing.

By Rebecca Pifer • April 27, 2023

FDA approves new ALS medicine in precedent-setting decision

The conditional approval is likely to influence how other experimental treatments for the nerve-destroying disease are tested and reviewed.

By Jacob Bell • Updated April 25, 2023

LCMC ordered by judge not to close HCA-acquired hospitals as legal battle continues

LCMC Health and regulators have filed dueling court requests over whether state acquisition approval preempts federal antitrust review in LCMC’s acquisition of three facilities from HCA. 

By Sydney Halleman • April 25, 2023

DOJ charges 18 in COVID healthcare frauds totaling $490M

It's the largest enforcement action against COVID-19 healthcare fraud schemes to date, according to regulators.

By Sydney Halleman • April 24, 2023

Supreme Court maintains access to abortion pill, blocking restrictions on its use

The stay suspends an order by a Texas judge that had invalidated the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, allowing access to continue while a circuit court hears the case.

By Delilah Alvarado • April 21, 2023

LCMC Health sues feds for blocking Tulane hospital deal despite securing COPA

The lawsuit comes after the Federal Trade Commission blocked the sale to allow for an antitrust review, despite the system receiving a certificate shielding the acquisition from federal scrutiny.

By Susan Kelly • April 20, 2023

Supreme Court delays decision in court battle over abortion pill

An administrative stay of a Texas district court ruling will remain in place through Friday, pushing out a Supreme Court decision in the closely watched case over the drug mifepristone.

By Delilah Alvarado • April 19, 2023

CMS walks back limits on non-standardized plan options, finalizes marketplace standards

The final rule comes as a record 16.3 million Americans, spurred by COVID-19 incentives, signed up for ACA marketplace plans during 2023 open enrollment.

By Sydney Halleman • April 18, 2023

Appeals court rules abortion drug can stay on market — but limits access

The Department of Justice appealed the order on Thursday, moving the fight over access to mifepristone to the Supreme Court.

By Delilah Alvarado • Updated April 14, 2023

HHS proposes rule shoring up HIPAA to protect reproductive health data, including around abortions

Privacy lawyers said the regulation would insulate physicians from the chilling effect of abortion bans, freeing them to have honest conversations with patients about their healthcare options — even in states where abortion is illegal.

By Rebecca Pifer • April 12, 2023

Legal abortions fell by more than 32K following Dobbs decision, new data shows

Legal abortions in the 13 states with near-total bans plummeted to under 10 per month in the six months after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to the Society of Family Planning.

By Rebecca Pifer • April 12, 2023